A cenotaph to Luis Viale proudly sat in Recoleta Cemetery but has since been moved. An Italian immigrant dedicated to business & banking, Viale was best known for his acts of bravery & selfless courage. The last life he saved was during the 1871 sinking of the U.S. paddle steamer “America” off the coast of Montevideo after sailing from Buenos Aires. Seeing friend Carmen Piñedo de Marcó del Pont —pregnant & without a lifebuoy— Viale gave his own away… & later drowned along with 140 other passengers.
Paid for by public subscription, the statue by Italian sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi occupied a prominent location along the back wall of the cemetery from 1893 to 1928. After several changes of location & now called the “Monumento a Luis Viale,” the statue can be found in Costanera Sur, dwarfed by neighboring highrises of Puerto Madero:
As a sidenote, the great-grandson of the unborn child saved by Viale is Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, mayor of Buenos Aires from 2015 to 2023.
Update (30 Nov 2025): We don’t have the source or date for the following photograph, but it’s too interesting not to post… apparently showing the construction & placement of the cenotaph in 1893. Any data concerning this image’s origin is appreciated.
Top photo courtesy of the Archivo General de la Nación. Second photo courtesy of Gabriel Arango.
felicitaciones por post,y muy buenas las fotos antiguas del cementerio ,vi que pùblicaron unas cuantas.tengan feliz 2010
Gracias Nicolás… sí, tengo varias fotos del Archivo General de la Nación y espero subir todas. Feliz 2010!
La info en la notita resaltada hizo que baje un poquito mi respeto hacia Viale.. not gonna lie..
Pensé igual pero no queria decir nada en el post jajaja
https://www.facebook.com/ArchivoGeneraldelaNacionArgentina/photos/a.141923792499512.21231.138633046161920/841185725906645/?type=1&theater
En esta foto del AGN ya se ve a la estatua en Costanera Sur. El epígrafe dice que fue sacada circa 1920.. sabrás en qué fecha la movieron?
La Costanera era parte del Plan Noel, si me acuerdo bien. Es muy probable que la movieron poco antes de sacar esa foto… Pero nunca descubrí la fecha exacta.